Chapter 205 - Arrival
No matter the era, flying with something above economy class was always great. Despite having more advanced technology, the aviation industry still had three average classes: Economy, Business, and First Classes to get money.
Theo just enjoyed their flight and ate until he was full. It had been so long since he got spoiled anyway, so he took advantage of the flight to spoil himself to the fullest.
Unfortunately, the plane didn't take too long to arrive. It was just a simple six hours flight and they needed to leave the airport as soon as possible, going to their accommodation for a few weeks.
As soon as they left the airport, Theo stretched his hands while yawning.
"Someone got spoiled during the whole flight," Phyrill smirked and teased Theo while the latter only ignored him and looked around.
"I'm sure you don't forget that we're here to compete, right?" Radvils glanced at them with a serious expression.
"Of course." Phyrill smiled and looked around. "But it's fine to stroll around, right?"
"The competition will start in three days and what you're doing for those three days is to grow accustomed to the environment here. Just do some light training and do everything together, that's all."
"Roger." Alea smiled and said cheerfully. "That means I don't need to find a reason to drag Theo out of the hotel to look around."
"Haha." Ellen chuckled and gently stroked her cheek with a helpless expression. She patted Theo's shoulders and said, "Just enjoy, okay?"
Theo shrugged and looked away.
"Anyway, let's go to the hotel first. Our ride…" Radvils looked around before finding a minibus with a white flag swayed by the wind. The white flag had an eagle symbol on it coupled with a crescent moon acting as a branch where the eagle perched. It was their country's flag. "There…"
"Oh!" Although Alea often flew to other countries, it was the first time she went with friends like this, so she became too energetic after leaving the plane.
Sihan and Laust remained silent while following Radvils. And the others also started walking to the bus before meeting a middle-aged man standing next to the minibus.
He had white hair and gentle eyes. He wore a long brown coat and black pants, smiling at them. "Hello, I will be your guide during your stay here. Just call me Old Herman and I'm from the same country as you guys… I've lived here for a decade, so wherever you go, I can bring you there."
"He has been driving our teams for the past three years."
"Of course. Since my hometown will participate in this competition, it's time for me to show my support." He laughed. "Keep working hard and don't give up, okay?"
Radvils ignored him and entered the bus, albeit he didn't forget to give one message. "This team is different from the past. They're already at the international level, so you may become our driver for a little longer."
The middle-aged man smiled when he heard that. He was always saddened by the cries of the team every single year because none of them could participate in the grand competition. Seeing that there was hope, the middle-aged man was delighted. "I will be looking forward to it. Please make me become your driver for weeks, okay?"
Theo didn't have a change of expression, entered the minibus and sat next to the window.
The rest also followed them and hopped on the bus as Herman drove them across the city.
The group enjoyed the scenery different from their country while Theo took his time to get the information about the competition.
Seeing his focus, Radvils decided to change his seat next to him while giving him some of what he wanted.
"This is the information."
"Thanks." Theo nodded and took a look at it.
"There will be cameras everywhere, but it doesn't mean you can't kill people. Not a single time the competition was broadcasted live since the blood needs to be replaced by some CGI to accommodate younger viewers. After all, fighting in the competition are also aspiring young children.
"And all those who watch from the actual seats are adults, so it's pretty safe to go all out. From the past information, the referee this time will be at least a Mythical Rank Expert, meaning that he's above Level 751.
"In other words, the referee can stop the match in a split second. Even the strongest contestant cannot penetrate the referee's shield, so you can say you don't need to hold back or anything."
Theo nodded in understanding. "That's a good choice. Well, the enemies will also have no hesitation in killing us, so it's something I should put into consideration."
"Indeed. Moving on to the elimination rounds… among one hundred countries that participate, only eight of them will appear on the main stage, so you can see why it's so hard to get onto that stage."
"Yeah. Do you have any idea about the competitions?"
"Not really. I haven't heard anything about the challenge, but in the elimination round, all countries will be split into eight blocks. The winner of each block will compete on the grand stage while the losers can go back to their home country.
"During the elimination round, they employ the point system, so the one who gets the most points wins. There are three stages which are a puzzle, a hunt, and a race. I don't know much about the details because it's supposed to be a secret."
Theo nodded with a serious expression. "I understand. A puzzle, a hunt, and a race… I see. We're going to compete on the other side, right?"
"Yeah. I'm afraid the competition this time has surpassed everyone's expectations. There will be many bribes coming into play, but our country isn't that big to do that, so yeah, I wish you luck."
"Indeed. Do you have any information about our competitors?"
"Yep. These are the ten other countries you need to face. From my personal experience, you need to be wary of two teams." Radvils handed the list. "Indonesia and Australia."
"…" Theo took another look at the list and nodded. "I will."
"Well, just make sure you get to the main stage first before looking at your future opponents from other blocks, okay?"
"Yeah."
"That's good. You can read the rest." Radvils left the seat and returned to his original seat before falling asleep.
The others were curious, but Theo would surely tell them if the matter was important enough, so they decided to give him time to understand the information first.
